Mets Signal Retreat: Move In the Fences

The New York Mets have been in their lavish new $800 million ballpark only 3 years, but already they are making changes.

The Mets are moving in the fences at Citi Field,  shaving about 13 feet from the left field wall in an attempt to generate more offense.

It’s a no brainer when you consider the Mets have ranked 30th, 24th and 27th in total home runs over the past three years – and Citi Field has produced just 1.4 homers a game over that same span – the lowest totals in all of Major League Baseball. The Mets have little in the way of star power – speedster Jose Reyes in widely expected to sign elsewhere and 3rd baseman David Wright has seen his power zapped at Citi Field.  So the Mets will also lower the left field wall from 16 feet to 8 feet.

And in shortening the fence around the whole outfield, the money-drained Mets can add about 100 seats that will draw top dollar (imagine sitting in the seats atop the Green Monster in Fenway).

Citi Field is a vast improvement over Shea Stadium, where I attended many games as a kid and watched as hundreds of jet planes flew overhead to nearby La Guardia Airport (hence the name New York Jets). I remember Shea Stadium as the place where swirling winds would often lift hot dog wrappers and small children into the air in a dusty vortex of negative energy. By contrast, the seats at Citi Field are a couple of inches wider than Shea, accomodating the more massive girth of today’s fans. Citi Field is also a more intimate park, seating just 42,800 fans compared to the 57,333 capacity at Shea.

Citi Field includes a structural steel “bridge” that’s designed to symbolize New York’s five boroughs. The new stadium also features a high definition scoreboard to track the action.

Citi Field features a beautiful brick facade entrance that’s reminiscent of the old Ebbets Field, where the Dodgers once played. The facade takes you to Jackie Robinson Rotunda, a marvelous mix of pictures and videos honoring the former Dodger great.

My son Matt and I visited Citi Field in August 2009 to see the Mets host the San Francisco Giants. We held up a sign that proclaimed 30, symbolizing all 30 Major League parks we had visited over the years.

That’s when Matt told me, “Dad, do you realize Citi Field is actually our 30th ballpark?

“How can that be,” I demanded. “There are 30 Major League teams and we’ve now been to every ballpark.”

“Yes, but this is our second time seeing the Mets at home. So if you count Shea Stadium and Citi Field, it makes 31 ballparks.”

Ultimately we would also visit the new Yankee Stadium to make it 32.

But back to the Mets for a minute. How much will the new renovations cost? Nothing according to the front office. Turns out Citi Field came in $40 million under budget – so that money will be used for the renovations to bring more fans – and more home runs to the park.

Now that baseball season is officially over, you may be a bit depressed like me, but I’m actively counting the day until spring training starts – approximately 107 days until pitchers and catchers report to camp.

And just 4 months until Baseball Between Us is released on March 1, 2012. You can pre-order it here if you can’t wait: Pre-Order Baseball Between Us

In the meantime, I’m hoping to hit 100 Likes on my Facebook page: Like Baseball Between Us. And here’s more on the new plans for Citi Field from the New York Times: Citi Field to Shrink. Until next time…

About Mike

Mike Luery is an award-winning journalist with 25 years on TV and radio. Currently, he is the political reporter for KCRA-TV, the top-ranked station in Sacramento. This is Luery's second tour of duty with KCRA, where he was also a reporter from 1984 - 2000. In between, he was NBC's Capitol Bureau Chief in California and a reporter for CBS 13 in Sacramento. Luery lives in northern California with his wife Carol. Baseball Between Us is his first book.
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